JUBA – Clashes erupted early Wednesday in Western Equatoria State after the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO) accused the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) of attacking one of its cantonment sites.
The SPLA-IO alleges the attack was part of a pursuit of recently dismissed Governor Alfred Futuyo Karaba.
SPLA-IO spokesman Col. Lam Paul Gabriel said in a statement that the SSPDF launched an assault on the Rirangu cantonment site at around 6:00 a.m.
He described the action as a “violent pursuit” of Futuyo, who was removed from his position by President Salva Kiir on Monday.
“Today morning at about 6:00AM, The SSPDF attacked SPLA-IO cantonment site of Rirangu in Western Equatoria in a violent pursuit of Former Governor Lt. Gen. Alfred Futuyo Karaba. Details will follow later as clashes are still ongoing,” he said.
There was no immediate comment from the SSPDF.
Futuyo, an SPLA-IO commander, was dismissed by Kiir in a decree that also removed National Minister of Health Yolanda Awel Deng. The SPLM-IO has rejected the dismissals, arguing they violate the power-sharing provisions of the 2018 peace agreement.
The opposition group also condemned what it termed an “assassination attempt” on Futuyo, as well as recent security violations in Western Equatoria and Western Bahr el Ghazal.
Tensions have been escalating in Western Equatoria, with the SPLA-IO accusing the SSPDF of targeting its forces, a breach of the peace deal’s security arrangements.
The latest fighting follows weeks of political uncertainty, marked by Kiir’s reshuffling of key government and party positions, including the removal of Vice President James Wani Igga as SPLM first deputy chairman.
